7 Creative Fundraising Games to Raise More Money for Charity

There will always be generous souls willing to make donations, but a charity will always benefit from as much fundraising as possible. The best way to create an impact is to throw a fundraising event.

Fundraisers can be a great opportunity to spread the word about your charity, what you do, and what you and the charity need. If planned and executed correctly, they can help you to find donors who will be willing to make long-term investments in the betterment of mankind, society, and the planet.

Many donors have attended dozens of charity fundraisers, so are often very familiar with these sorts of events. It's up to you to make your event stand out. One great way to do that is to host fundraising games. Essentially, these games provide the entertainment for the guests while encouraging them to donate. The games can be an excellent way to raise money before you even make your pitch to the guests. It's a two-for-one that may be just what you need.

Below are a few of our favourite games to raise money for charity. You'll find that they will appeal to your guests and offer a fun, entertaining way to sponsor your charitable activities.

1. Charity Casino

Poker, Blackjack and Roulette are games your guests can't help but love, and they'll have a chance to play for a good cause.

The set-up is simple: every guest has to donate to "buy in" to the game. Let's say the fee is £10 per guest, this £10 is a direct donation to the charitable cause.

Guests can continue to "buy" more chips (donate more to charity) until the game is finished.

Casino tables are easy to hire and guarantee a captive audience and, it's a great chance for people to donate to your cause!It is an excellent option for making your charitable event stand out in your attendees' minds.

2. Jewellery Box Game

What would you give for a piece of luxury jewellery? This game gives your guests a chance to find out…To begin, you will need a piece of high-end jewellery—something on the pricier side. You can approach a local jeweller to ask them to donate in exchange for promotion as an event sponsor, or simply invest in the piece yourself.

Set the piece of jewellery in the showcase, and surround it with little jewellery boxes. Your guests will purchase one of the numbered boxes (from 1-50 or 1-100, depending on your guests). At the end of the event, the prize piece of jewellery will be placed at random into one of the numbered boxes, and the winner announced.

However, EVERYONE can win a prize! While not everyone will win the fancy jewellery, you can put a memento of some sort in each box: a pair of cufflinks for the men, a simple pair of earrings for the women, etc. This jewellery could even have the logo/brand of your charitable organisation, giving your guests a keepsake to take home and remember the event by.

3. Banned Word Jar

This is a fun take on the "Swear Jar".

As each guest arrives to the event, let them know that there is one word that is "banned" for the night. Make it a common word, one that most of your guests tend to use frequently in conversation. Every time they use that word, they have to put £1 into the jar.

But the fun doesn't stop there, guests can pay £20 to have the word un-banned, or they can pay £5 to get another word banned. The idea behind the game is that all of your guests are trying to catch other people in the act of saying the banned word. It's a friendly competition that can have your guests laughing at their own mistakes, as well as competing to trip up their friends and coworkers.

However, the fact that they're paying means you have a great fundraising opportunity!​

4. Mystery Box Game

We all love a good mystery!

For this game to work, you will need a lot of donations from retailers, or perhaps find sponsors to help with the purchases. You want enough items to fill 50-100 boxes, all with products worth anywhere from £50 to £100.

When the guests enter the event, they will see a large stack of boxes to buy, as well as a long list of items that may be hiding in those boxes. They're able to purchase the boxes. At the end of the night, all the boxes are opened, and all the prizes revealed.

Any unsold boxes can then be auctioned off. You'll find that many people will bid on one box thinking they'll get a certain item, then open it and find it contained something different. You may end up with a few of the unsold items earning more money in the auction!

5. Bar Game Championship

What could be more fun than a championship of some of the classic bar games: ping pong, darts, or foosball?

You'll need a few of these games spread around the event venue, as well as referees to keep the games on track. Your guests can participate in one or more of the championships. They’ll have to pay to take part, but this will be their donation to the charity.

It's a fun way to bring out the competition among your guests and make the event more fun. You can set up different rounds and ask guests to compete directly with each other, or compare scores at the end. Don’t forget prizes to offer the winners!​

6. Story Telling Contest

If your event is along the lines of education, reading, or literature, this could be one of the best fundraising games to play!

Let your guests know that they will be able to compete in a storytelling contest. They will have to get up and tell a story in the most dramatic way possible. Approach a few professional storytellers to see if they will "judge" the contest.

This is one of those fundraising party games that indirectly leads to contributions. You can make the event free to enter and attend, but ask people for donations for your charitable organisation. It's a wonderful way to promote literacy and reading while raising funds for a good cause.​

7. Quiz Night

You can let the guests know the themes of the quizzes in advance, giving them a chance to brush up on their trivia.

You could charge your guests to enter the quiz. This can be one of the best ways to raise money for charity. You'll have people attending who love trivia and quizzes, and you'll have a chance to pitch them your charitable organisation and cause. Plus, you can spend a fun few hours battling it out to see who has the best knowledge of facts and trivia.

These fundraising games can make your event a lot more fun, and can inspire guests to donate more than they would if you simply pitched the charity to them. People are more invested in games and competitions than basic charitable giving. Make it fun, and they'll be more likely to donate!

Want more games for your event? Let Ultimate Experience help you plan the event from top to bottom: venue, catering, theme, games, and all! We have access to some of the best venues in London, courtesy of the Concerto Group, and we have years of experience putting together successful charity events.

We'll bring your event to life and give your guests the time of their lives.

What did you think of these games? Do you have any recommendations for other games to try? Drop a comment below and let us know. We're always looking for more fundraising games that will work…